Conventionally, when a metal film is required to be evenly formed on a bar-like substrate, a number of substances are so disposed as to stand on a horizontal anode plate and have metal films formed by sputtering metal atoms from a cathode. However, it is time-consuming to individually set upright the substrates. For this reason, preparation for the operation of the apparatus takes a long time and it is difficult to deposit metal on many substrates at one time. In addition, it is difficult to operate the apparatus in a stable manner because the substrates tend to fall due to vibration to which the apparatus is subject.
In a vacuum evaporating technique, as distinguished from the sputtering technique, it is known to deposit metal films on a number of substrates while the substrates are placed in a rotatable cage which rotates within a vacuum evaporating chamber. This technique has been considered inapplicable to a cathode sputtering apparatus because such a rotatable cage disposed between a cathode and an anode causes disturbance of the electric field. If the electric field is disturbed, then an abnormal discharge occurs so that a uniform metal film cannot be formed on a substrate.